


Lost and Found

by verylcvelyindeed



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, But There's Major Fluff Later On, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Give Him Happiness, His Father Sucks In This, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Quigley is Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verylcvelyindeed/pseuds/verylcvelyindeed
Summary: "I know it isn't my place to ask, but are you quite alright?"He'd looked up in astonishment, causing her to wonder when the last time someone had asked him that question had been. "W-why yes, of course," he'd said, and she'd been able to tell immediately that he was lying. Still, he'd cloaked the dejection in his eyes so well that if someone had approached at that moment, they'd have found his grin to be perfectly genuine. "You neglected to answer my question, though."-In which she underestimates just how far he's willing to go for her, and in which two lost souls find solace in one another.
Relationships: Duncan Quagmire & Isadora Quagmire & Quigley Quagmire, Violet Baudelaire & Quigley Quagmire, Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Quagmire
Kudos: 14





	Lost and Found

"Quigley-? Oh!" Violet cried softly, rubbing her eyes as if they could be deceiving her. Her voice still thick with sleep, she stood, clutching the doorknob and staring at him in alarm. She guessed it was a little while past midnight, and why he was standing at her door at this hour was beyond her - but it took one look at his dishevelled state and the tears spilling steadily down his cheeks for all the day's anger to evaporate.

"Goodness, whatever happened?" she asked, her worry leaking into her voice as she took him instinctively into her arms.

"Father, I-I told him everything," Quigley choked out between sobs. "He says I am no son of his. He wants me gone by morning, with only as much as I can carry by hand - I won't leave without your forgiveness."

Violet's heart sunk, tears pricking her eyes - this was her fault. She'd lashed out at him that morning, essentially calling him a coward for not doing this sooner - yet of _course_ he'd known better how drastically his own father would react. She could've guessed a confession of this sort would warrant this reaction from the King, who was notorious for his harshness - she just hadn't expected Quigley to be so rash in his approach to the situation.

_"Quigley," she'd begun carefully, eyeing him as they'd sat, fingers loosely intertwined, watching the sunrise, "do you have any idea when your wedding is meant to be?"_

_"Not as yet, but you needn't worry, Vi." he'd replied absentmindedly, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. "You are well aware that you are the sole object of my affection-"_

_"That may be true," Violet had interrupted, irritation entering her voice as she'd tugged her hand away, "but I am the only one in possession of that knowledge. What are you, ashamed of me?"_

_"Violet." Quigley had gaped, sitting up straighter as his face contorted in bewilderment. "How could you ever think-"_

_"You insist still on keeping us a secret, after all these years. Do you find me to be unworthy? I'd rather you tell me now than abandon me the night before you marry your betrothed." she'd said bitterly, eyes stinging with tears she'd been struggling to hold back._

_"You know that's the furthest from the truth you could possibly venture." he'd answered in disbelief. "I feel_ nothing _for Elise, I never have, and we've both agreed it's all a formality - we've never done more than hold hands to appease our parents. I promised you I'd cross that bridge when we came to it."_

_"You shan't toy with my feelings, Quigley. I value myself too much for that." she'd snapped, knowing it was her insecurities talking and not fully understanding why she was letting him take the brunt of them. Though the hurt, perplexed expression on his face had torn her apart, she'd closed her eyes and breathed out the culmination of this entire conversation. "Us servants have begun to be enlisted as part of the preparation committee. It's soon, Quigley. I don't know how much longer this can go on."_

_The tears had finally fallen and she'd brushed them angrily off her cheeks, willing him to say something._

_"I swear I hadn't the faintest idea. I'll fix it, though, Violet, you know I will. I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt you." he'd pleaded, reaching for her hand, but she'd pulled it sharply away, standing up abruptly. "I think you need to work up the courage to decide what holds value in your life - and you can come find me when you do,_ your Highness."

_He'd flinched at the title, getting to his feet and staring behind her, stunned, as she made for the exit of this shrouded haven of theirs - and, unbeknownst to her, he'd already resolved to make it right._

_If only she'd considered the consequences._

"Quigley, I-" she whispered, unable to formulate any other response through her distress, "Quigley, oh goodness-"

Consumed by the agony of guilt and her inability to help him, she closed the door behind them and sat him down on the bed, taking both his hands in hers as she sat beside him. "Quigley, love, you have done _nothing_ to warrant asking my forgiveness. I-I don't know what to say, I am _so_ sorry-"

"But... Violet," Quigley interrupted in confusion, the tears inundating his features refusing to relent, "you were so distraught earlier - I couldn't bear to think I was the cause of such anguish. I went to him and told him, just as you wished I would... He did not take kindly to the notion. He-he said he'd always known my sister would rule better, that he should've done this sooner so he could've prepared Isadora for the throne instead."

Violet clenched a fist, knowing as well as the King did that being compared to his siblings felt like a stab in the gut to the cartographer, and sure enough Quigley's voice trembled at the recollection. "He says I wish to jeopardise our kingdom's wellbeing, that severing such a betrothal will destroy political ties. He said I had no choice in the matter, and when I reiterated my refusal he said he never wishes to see my face again. I don't know where I'm going, but I only ask that you pardon me before I depart."

"No! No, you can't just _leave_ \- I won't allow it. I'll take whatever punishment he wishes, I'll say you were coerced - you're his _heir_ , for heaven's sake, you've spent your entire life submitting to his every whim and fancy just so you could take his throne someday. You surrendered your childhood for him, he can't just... just thrust you aside!"

Quigley had never known his mother. She'd passed shortly after giving birth to the triplets, and Quigley certainly felt that their father resented them because of it. For the most part he paid Duncan and Isadora no mind, focusing on Quigley only so as to train him for his reign - and, unfortunately for him, none of this attention was positive. He rarely stopped working, had attained fluency in five languages by age sixteen, and, three years later, his father's expectations of him had only heightened. Though his interests lay in geography and cartography, he found himself only able to pursue them in the early hours of the morning before his gruelling schedule began. It was a bleak existence indeed.

Violet had many a time seen him crack under pressure, had witnessed sides of him she was sure he allowed no one else to see - she'd held him as stress reduced him to tears, eased his anxieties before important gatherings, and, though they were not common occurrences, she'd seen the bruises on his arms. It was a wonder she hadn't personally attempted to assassinate the King as yet.

"You'll do nothing of the sort," Quigley said fiercely, his eyes burning, "I'd never forgive myself if I caused you further pain to any extent. What's done is done-"

"You don't understand - I was being irrational. You didn't hurt me, Quigs, you never have and you never could." Violet cut in vehemently, putting a hand on his knee. "I won't let you give everything up to spare my feelings, I _won't_. That would never do."

"Were I to inherit twice the worth of the world, I'd forfeit it all for you in a heartbeat." Quigley tossed back in earnest, tsking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world before burying his head in his hands again. 

Violet could not help her heart warming as she registered his words, reassurances of a fact she'd always known deep down but had never fully believed. Having been abandoned to work here at a very young age, his love was the purest she'd ever known - she'd never had cause to doubt him. He'd been an irreplaceable source of comfort as she'd tearfully lamented the loss of her family, had spent months painstakingly teaching her to read and had snuck her various enthralling titles once she'd mastered it - and that was only the beginning. 

It had been an excruciatingly long time since she'd known kindness, and he'd been equally unhappy before they'd found solace in one another. It was almost impossible to imagine what she'd have done without him these last few years - he'd made her the happiest she could ever remember being, and it meant she could not let him ruin his life for her. 

"Listen to me." she said firmly, cupping his cheek and forcing him to look at her. "You're going to go to him and tell him you're sorry, and that you meant none of it - even if it means lying through your _teeth_. I've long been aware that I'd have to let you go, Quigley."

"Violet-" Quigley interrupted, his voice barely a whisper - and though his wounded tone shattered her heart, she had not finished.

The words emerging strangled from her throat, she said resolutely, "I said otherwise this morning, but I'd never hold it against you. I've been preparing myself for heartbreak since the very day we first spoke."

_It was a day she was certain was etched permanently in her memory. The banquet had been lavish - it was the first time she'd been tasked with serving at an event of this scale, the grand old age of sixteen being the year she was finally deemed able to handle the responsibility. Royals from all corners of the globe had filled the room, and she'd run around helter-skelter with platters of drinks and appetisers till she'd been quite sure her feet would be swollen the following day. She’d been sure she could’ve invented something to make the process more efficient, but she’d lacked the proper materials as well as the time - the limited hours she’d had to herself had been used for sleep and little else._

_She hadn't taken much notice of him at first - the Prince who, at that particular moment, had had a girl who looked to be around the same age as him on his arm. They'd both seemed to find the other's company awfully tedious, and she'd noticed him staring longingly at a table closer to the back of the room where his siblings were talking quietly._

_They'd recently celebrated their fifteenth birthday, a fact she knew because she'd assisted with the preparation for the silly little party the triplets indulged in each year. She'd thought they ought to know that on her own birthday she was forced to work as she would any other day, her only gift the extra share of honey her roommate would insist she take for her porridge - but she'd learned the hard way to keep her mouth shut, and as such the only one to hear her lamentations about the uselessness of a three-tier cake was her pillowcase._

_As it happened she had little experience with large crowds, however, and she'd only been able to hold the claustrophobia off for around an hour before she'd found her desire for solitude had become suffocating. Half an hour later it'd begun to border on desperation, and she'd felt she simply must escape for a few moments if she were to continue doing her job effectively for the rest of the night._

_Seeing as the partially hidden glass doors at the back end of the room led straight into the garden, she'd found herself with the perfect opportunity to regain her bearings before returning to her post. A few minutes wouldn't hurt anyone, she'd reasoned - and, if she was quick, it wasn't as if anyone would find out. Slipping out had been easy enough, but she hadn't anticipated finding_ him _sitting on a marble bench beside one of the hedges. To her dismay he'd looked up and spotted her before she could scurry back inside, and she'd_ panicked.

_"Y-your Highness." she'd stammered, dropping quickly into a curtsy, and had cursed internally as she'd realised she was likely going to lose her job. He clearly wasn't supposed to be out here either, but, she'd thought with calculated envy, rules were not applicable to the Prince - he would be let off the hook because he was, well,_ him. _This had been her first encounter with one of the triplets, and, quite accustomed to members of the family looking at her as if she was something from the bottom of one of their shoes, she'd been infinitely taken aback to find his eyes were kind._

_The title had seemed to fluster him, and he'd shut it down quickly with an embarrassed nod. Remembering herself, she'd said almost immediately, "I hope you'll accept my apologies, Sir - I suppose I should be heading back inside."_

_"You're welcome to take a seat, you know." she'd heard as she'd turned to leave - and she'd hesitated for a second, unable to think of a single reason he'd offer her such a privilege. Seemingly sensing her reluctance, he'd urged gently, "I must insist you join me for a few moments, seeing as you look as tensed as I feel. Might I ask your name?"_

_"Violet." she'd answered carefully as she'd lowered herself onto the bench beside him, if only because she'd known better than to deny the request of a superior - though, although she didn't realise it, Quigley's feelings would've been of disappointment rather than disapproval if she'd decided his company was not something she desired. "Quigley." he'd said, holding out his hand with a smile, and she'd taken it sceptically._

_"I'm aware." she'd said quietly, her eyes widening as she'd realised how curt she'd sounded, but she'd relaxed a little when he'd chuckled sheepishly. "I believe I should've thought that one through. What brings you out here, Violet?"_

_"I-I'm not shirking duties." she'd managed to say, taking his question to be a form of reprimand, but he'd surprised her once more when he'd laughed a little and said, "That's a relief, because I most certainly am. Good heavens, if Father discovered I had deserted Elise I might have to go without-"_

_He'd stopped in his tracks, whatever he might've had to go without hanging unsaid in the air as he'd dipped his head, weaving his fingers together in his lap. She'd thought he'd probably realised he'd been giving too much information to a complete stranger, but there had been no missing the flash of empty sadness that had lingered behind the kindness in his eyes. So, acting against her instincts by choosing to return the favour he'd granted her, she'd cautiously placed a hand over his._

_"I know it isn't my place to ask, but are you quite alright, your H-_ Quigley _?"_

_He'd looked up in astonishment, causing her to wonder when the last time someone had asked him that question had been. "W-why yes, of course," he'd said, and she'd been able to tell immediately that he was lying. Still, he'd cloaked the dejection in his eyes so well that if someone had approached at that moment, they'd have found his grin to be perfectly genuine. "You neglected to answer my question, though."_

_Deciding to give him the small mercy of changing the subject, she'd sighed, shrugging, "I suppose it's all just... a lot, sometimes."_

_"Would you prefer to have your post covered for the remainder of the night? I can have it arranged if you need some rest." he'd offered in concern, taking note of her exhaustion, and she'd shaken her head quickly, saying with a small smile, "I appreciate your kindness, but I'll manage."_

_Nodding, he'd stood up begrudgingly. "In that case, come back in whenever you're ready. I'll have to return before Father realises something is amiss, but should anyone question your absence, ask them to speak to me."_

_"I- Thank you." Violet had said in slight disbelief, slowly coming to terms with the fact that everything she'd thought she'd known about him had been most emphatically wrong. "Forgive my bluntness, Quigley," she'd begun against her better judgement, causing him to turn as he neared the doors, and she'd taken a deep breath before asking, "You speak to me as if we're equals. Why?"_

_"Are we not?" was all he'd answered, tipping an imaginary hat towards her with a twinkle in his eye, and she'd found herself with a small, secret smile on her face as he'd disappeared into the venue._

As you might've guessed, this had not been the last she'd seen of him. It'd begun with stolen glances at each other when she'd served at events he'd attended, and one day she'd lifted his teacup from the breakfast table to find a note pressed into her hand telling her to meet him at a certain location that evening. They'd met in secret for years since - a friendship that had soon blossomed into more, but that Violet had always anticipated losing one day.

"You misunderstand, Violet." Quigley said crossly, picking at the threads in the blanket beneath him before looking up to meet her eyes. "I did not come here so you could convince me to break your heart. I am to leave this place tonight, there is no debating the matter - I simply did not wish to leave while we were on unpleasant terms."

"Quigley, you have to think of your _inheritance_ -" Violet implored, tears filling her eyes once more, and he shook his head fervently, dismissing the notion with a wave of his hand. "What use would wealth be without happiness - and how could I attain the latter without you by my side? Such an acquisition would be pointless."

"You're not going to relent, are you?" Violet asked softly, and he shook his head again, this time notably more subdued.

"Then let me come with you." she said decisively, squeezing his hand.

"I hoped you might say that," he answered, his relief evident in his voice, "but you aren't obligated to. I suspect we'd encounter numerous hardships, and your job here is stable-"

"Oh, spare me." she said immediately, shoving him teasingly. "Heaven knows we've both been trapped here for years."

"Yes, yes we have." he affirmed, and the tears that fell now were not those of distress.

Violet quite suddenly threw her arms around him, and he hugged her back as if his life depended on it. It was several minutes before they separated, and Quigley, having composed himself, brushed his tears off his cheeks. His voice breaking, he said quietly, "I suppose I should gather my things, and say my goodbyes."

"I have practically nothing of value, so if you'll wait just a moment I'll gather my keepsakes and be right by your side." she told him, kissing his cheek lightly. "I've been by your side all along."

The Quagmires' goodbyes were tearful. Isadora insisted she'd refuse her brother's rightful position until he told her leaving made him happier, and that he'd always known she'd make a magnificent queen. So, promising to honour his wishes, she vowed to re-inculcate them both into the family once she ruled - in fact, she swore, they'd both be invited to the coronation. Duncan, although he cried the most, was knowledgeable regarding such affairs - and he assured his brother that in the circumstances of this particular betrothal, his change of intention would not have consequences remotely as serious as war. The Quagmire triplets hugged, and did not say a conclusive goodbye - they merely promised to fondly remember each other till they met again.

Then around an hour before sunrise, Violet Baudelaire and former Prince Quigley Quagmire set off into the darkness. They had not a clue where they were going or what their future entailed, but, fingers firmly laced together, they had faith that they'd make it. Quigley would map their path, and Violet would invent their way out of sticky situations, and someday, somewhere out there, they'd find a place they belonged - until then, they'd be perfectly content having a home in one another.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my favourite genres to write because of how creative I can be with the words, so I hope you enjoyed :)


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